YELLOWFISH WORKING GROUP

The founding of the Yellowfish
Working Group by FOSAF is one of the greatest
success stories in angler-driven conservation
ever achieved in South Africa or indeed worldwide.
Not only have fly fishing resources been virtually
doubled in the few short years since the Yellowfish
Working Group had its first conference in 1997,
but the Yellowfish Working Group has continued
to be a shining example of what co-operation
between conservation specialists and recreational
anglers can achieve.

The annual conferences - the eighteenth was held at Thaba ‘Nchu in June 2014 - continue to
provide a platform for academics, conservationists
and interested groups to be heard. Many scientific
papers have been generated, many vital research
projects instituted - to the benefit of the
future of South Africa's premier indigenous
fly fishing species, the Yellowfish.

FOSAF is proud to continue our close association
with and our leadership role in the Yellowfish
Working Group.

Mission statement "To promote the long-term conservation needs
of yellowfish as a flagship group within their
natural habitats through sustainable utilisation
practices and as a means to create an awareness
of their conservation with the relevant decision
makers."

What does the YWG do?
The formation of the Yellowfish Working Group
(YWG) was initiated by the Federation of Southern
African Flyfishers (FOSAF) in 1997. FOSAF manages
the Group and finances its running costs while
underwriting the costs of its projects. The
YWG can be best described as an 'Interest Group'
comprising persons interested in conserving
the 9 species of indigenous yellowfish. Among
others these persons include sport anglers,
aquatic and environmental scientists, tourism
operators and their involvement is solely on
a voluntary basis. A National Conference is
held every year and the Proceedings are published.
The Conference Proceedings from 2003 to 2010
are available on this website. Click
here for Proceedings.

Initially the YWG focussed on the need to
popularise flyfishing for yellows in a sustainable
manner by practising catch & release (C & R)
and this goal was achieved very rapidly. For
the YWG's position on C & R click
here. More recently the Group has placed
greater emphasis on research and the need to
combat the very real threat of pollution and
habitat degradation.

Yellowfish conservation is therefore at the
forefront of freshwater fisheries research in
South Africa - the main reasons being that these
species are sensitive to habitat degradation
and are therefore becoming scarce in many of
the rivers in which they naturally occur. Because
of their sensitivity towards environmental change
aquatic scientists are using this fish as a
biological indicator of river health.

Because yellowfish have become very popular
as an angling fish and there is a problem posed
by the increasing demand for yellowfish for
stocking purposes. By stocking the incorrect
species into a river system there is a very
real danger of hybridization. This could also
apply to distinct genetic groupings within the
same species. In ecological terms this could
spell disaster for the genetics and thus the
long-term viability of the species. Each yellowfish
species has its own very specific genetic make-up
that has been influenced by its adaptation to
specific habitats. Their distribution is the
product of their ability to adapt to these various
systems where they now occur naturally. Some
species are currently restricted to a single
river system and are thus very vulnerable. In
addition inter-basin transfer schemes such as
that between the Tugela system and Sterkfontein
Dam represent a similar threat.

This problem of hybridization would nullify
all the work done to date to conserve the fish
and can be regarded as a greater problem than
the introduction of alien fish species into
these same river systems. In order to establish
the status of the yellowfish it has become necessary
to assess the genetic integrity of the existing
populations where they occur naturally. It has
therefore been deemed necessary to map the genetics
of all the nine species, samples being taken
from the river systems in which they naturally
occur. This will help scientists and fishery
managers to understand the genetic variation
within and between species.

The YWG therefore decided in 2001 that a genetic
study as described above be given the highest
priority and work on the 2 species occurring
in the Orange-Vaal system. This work was completed
in 2007 with sponsorship provided mainly by
AngloGold Ashanti and the results have been
published in the Proceedings and are also available
on this website.
These findings have led to further genetic studies
and work on other biological aspects such as
breeding are currently being undertaken by researchers
who have obtained funding from other sources.

Because of the very real threat of hybridization
a moratorium was initially placed on the stocking
of yellowfish in 2001 and this moratorium was
replaced with a policy statement in June 2010
which clearly set out the YWG's stance with
regard to stocking and the artificial breeding
of yellowfish. Click
here for policy.

An important project of the YWG and sponsored
mainly by the Water Research Commission is the
"State of the Yellowfishes in South Africa -
2007 Report". This "Popular Report" which comprises
76 pages in full colour with 100 photos, a detailed
distribution map and a poster depicting the
upside of clean rivers and the adverse effect
of pollution was made available in 2007. To
obtain a copy, contact the WRC fax 012-3312565
or email orders@wrc.org.za and quote report
K8/719. The cost is R50-00 each plus postage.
The project's "Technical Report" was finalized
in November 2008 and copies in CD format are
available at no charge by contacting the WRC
at the numbers or email address above.

Another project is the distribution of a pamphlet
titled "Sustainable
Yellowfishing" which focuses on the
need to avoid the trampling of spawning beds
during the yellowfish breeding season which
is normally between October and March. This
problem is particularly noticeable in the heavily
fished Vaal River. The pamphlet which has been
sponsored by Fishing Owl also gives tips on
angling etiquette, catch and release and who
to contact at the Department of Water Affairs
(DWAF) when reporting pollution.

The
Yellowfishes of South Africa:
Yellowfish belong to the large cyprinid family
and are the largest, scaled freshwater fish
of South Africa. Of the nine species present,
three are described as threatened or vulnerable
-L. capensis, B. serra, and B. andrewi while
L.kimberleyensis must be approaching this status.

Six of the nine species are true yellowfishes
(genus Labeobarbus) while the other three are
related species which are loosely termed yellowfish
(genus Barbus).